Stereotypically Satisfied: The Gendered Well-Being Contributions of Job and Family Satisfaction

This study examines gender differences in how job and family satisfaction affect life satisfaction in Europe. The social production function suggests that social needs are met through affection, status, and behavioral confirmation. Women are thought to be more adept at satisfying affection needs, while men are better at meeting status needs. Behavioral confirmation reinforces these roles, leading to gender-specific pathways to life satisfaction. We hypothesize that women’s life satisfaction is more influenced by family satisfaction, while men’s depends more on job satisfaction. Using European Quality of Life Survey data (2003–2016) from more than 50,000 working individuals (18–65 years) across 28 countries, we test these gender differences. To control for unobserved cultural and temporal factors, we apply country and time fixed effects linear regression models. Our results show that family satisfaction has a stronger impact on women’s life satisfaction than on men’s, while job satisfaction has a stronger association with men’s life satisfaction. Comparing gender-specific effect strengths, we find that family satisfaction influences women’s life satisfaction significantly more strongly than job satisfaction. For men, both life domain satisfactions contribute equally to life satisfaction. These findings emphasize the need for gender-sensitive well-being research, and policies promoting a work–life balance across Europe.